About the Orchestra's Marketing
Will the classical subscription season look substantially different in the Orchestra's new business model?
No, the Orchestra will continue to offer a classical subscription season that runs from September through June with outstanding guest artists and a wide range of classical repertoire—as we have for many decades.
Will the Orchestra still offer pops concerts?
Yes, pops concerts are one important means of drawing a broad audience to hear the Minnesota Orchestra, and we will continue to offer a full spectrum of these programs in the season ahead.
Will you offer a chamber music series, family concerts, jazz programs and Inside the Classics next season? What happened to the Inside the Classics blog?
Our plan is to continue to offer a variety of concerts that appeal to a variety of different audiences. In light of the ongoing contract dispute, we've not made any announcements yet regarding any concert series for the 2013-14 season. The Inside the Classics blog went on hiatus last fall.
Will I be able to apply funds from last season to pay for tickets in the 2013-14 season?
Absolutely. Ticketholders have a variety of options available to them for purchases made for the 2012-13 season. One of these options is to apply the value of your unused tickets towards future concerts. Find a full list of options.
Will more marketing initiatives contribute to balancing the Orchestra budget?
Throughout the recession, our earned revenue has been essentially flat—a significant achievement in this economy. Our marketing efforts have maintained stable ticket sales across 150 music events a year in a 2,450 seat Hall. This is a solid accomplishment in a recession and in a community of our size.
Our strategic plan calls for 80 percent paid concert capacity and for a 2 percent increase in annual revenue year over year. (Our current paid capacity is 69 percent.) This is ambitious but achievable.
What marketing initiatives are in place for the future?
New initiatives to reach our goals include:
- Better aligning supply and demand of concerts by altering the mix of concerts performed, resizing and rescaling Orchestra Hall seating and creating flexible pricing strategies
- Responding to audience demand by modifying the way in which concerts are presented and experienced
- Optimizing marketing of and new sales opportunities in the renovated Hall, specifically by increasing food and beverage sales, and Hall and Orchestra utilization
To find out more about the organization's earned revenue strategies and targets, click the sections of our strategic plan below.
